The belief that this life is not the only one (i.e. that we have a continuing individual conscious existence of some sort after our present bodies of flesh cease functioning) is fundamental to my faith and significantly influences the way I live. This may seem gloomy, but I honestly believe this is a fallen world full of fallen creatures and that, simply put; we are here to overcome sin and pursue humble holiness (love God) and to help others do the same (love your neighbor). I believe we cannot accomplish this alone; but, by the grace of God, Christ has covered our sin so that by faith we may enter a living relationship with God through the Holy Spirit Who empowers our efforts. Thus, to me, this present life is one of sacrifice and service as we comfort and encourage one another along the path of sanctification that the Holy Spirit sets and guides uniquely for each person. I believe Jesus Christ is truly a resurrected being Who will literally stand as King of kings and Lord of lords to judge each person when all is said and done.
From my perspective then, whether I die today or live 50 more years is irrelevant to my eternal state. I’m not much interested in houses, cars, clothes, jobs, technology, progress, entertainment, recreation, or any of the other common concerns of worldliness… “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” and “having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” … and I don’t suppose there is some certain degree of pleasure or volume of experience that I must encounter here for this life to be meaningful or fulfilling. For me, meaning and fulfillment (as well as good feeling like joy and peace and such) come directly from knowing God, loving and serving others, and having hope in eternal life. Neither do I think of there being some specific quantity or type of good works that I must accomplish or some perfect moral standard that I must attain in order to be found acceptable by Jesus Christ. Rather, like I said above, I believe it is about cultivating and pursuing, day by day, moment by moment, with the help of and according to the leading of the Holy Spirit, a certain kind of heart: one with a genuine love of God that manifests in the diligent pursuit of holiness and a sincere, active love for others.
So if I was told that I only had a little while left to live, I don’t think I would change much. Life is often sad and painful for me, and I think a big part of me would be happy and feel relieved… going home! My biggest sadness would be that I wouldn’t get to watch my children grow into adults or see the grandbabies they may have, and I would worry that they would be too sad to see me go… but I would pray for their comfort and hope that I may see them all again someday. It would also be hard saying good bye to the sky and the trees and the land. I do so love this natural world and find her quite beautiful and amazing to behold… but I would hope maybe some of those natural things will be in heaven too… and expect probably there they will be even more majestic to behold!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Making Old Things New
This is an earlier thread that I just realized had been posted. I didn’t want it to ‘fall through the cracks’, as the saying goes, so I am reposting it and reopening the dialogue for any who would like to engage in the discussion.
Henry wrote:
I believe Jesus is a part of a Supreme Being that enters all sentient societies in a manner/person that is consistent with each society's comprehension. I think it would be extremely presumptive of us to think that he has favored mankind only in the last 2000 years and then only the Caucasian peoples, omitting eastern societies.
I view the Bible as a book that was written by inspired people who also included ideas and concepts important to themselves. I take the accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and factual.
I don't have any meaningful views of life after death.
Response:
The first sentence (about entering sentient societies) is one I might say about the Holy Spirit. The main idea seems to be that God (the Supreme Being) presents to people in ways they can comprehend. You call this ‘Jesus’… I call it the ‘Spirit of God’. But hey, we’re Trinitarians, so in a way, they are the same… though I do believe there is great value in distinguishing the Divine Persons also. I would, however, probably say sentient beings rather than societies and I would limit that involvement to post-Pentecost time (when the Holy Spirit- God’s Presence- was given as a gift to mankind because Jesus’ sacrifice fulfilled the law).
The idea of the next two sentences seems to be that ‘Jesus-Supreme Being’ MUST present to all peoples during all historical times. I do not hold this assumption. Rather, based on the Biblical record, I adhere to the concept of progressive revelation. That is, I believe since the fall of humanity the Godhead has been progressively, incrementally and in stages revealing and manifesting Its Divine Nature to redeem and restore mankind. As for omitting Eastern societies; remember it was Middle Easterners who were given extraordinary revelation. The Israelites lived in the most populous area of the world and their territory was a central trading route. They were called out to be witnesses- demonstrating to those around them Who God was according to the special revelation they were given at Mt. Sinai. The Easterners were not disregarded. Further, I believe it was only in the man Jesus that the Godhead manifested to this whole world as an individual person like us... and He wasn’t Caucasian! That is why I believe the life and testimony of Jesus is special and unique and deserves exceptional consideration and emphasis.
I believe every word of the original text of the written record we call the Bible was inspired directly by the Spirit of God. I agree that God spoke through people in particular times and situations and used the categories and culture and concepts that were then present in the vessels of His Revelation. I agree that the people who wrote had conscious experiences and may even have thought they were thinking on their own at times… but I believe God was sovereign even over their thoughts. I take the Bible as literally as possible allowing for metaphor, perspective, situational/cultural nuances and so forth. I consider my belief in the inspiration of Scripture to be an article of faith.
Too much to say about life after death… maybe another time…
Henry wrote:
I believe Jesus is a part of a Supreme Being that enters all sentient societies in a manner/person that is consistent with each society's comprehension. I think it would be extremely presumptive of us to think that he has favored mankind only in the last 2000 years and then only the Caucasian peoples, omitting eastern societies.
I view the Bible as a book that was written by inspired people who also included ideas and concepts important to themselves. I take the accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and factual.
I don't have any meaningful views of life after death.
Response:
The first sentence (about entering sentient societies) is one I might say about the Holy Spirit. The main idea seems to be that God (the Supreme Being) presents to people in ways they can comprehend. You call this ‘Jesus’… I call it the ‘Spirit of God’. But hey, we’re Trinitarians, so in a way, they are the same… though I do believe there is great value in distinguishing the Divine Persons also. I would, however, probably say sentient beings rather than societies and I would limit that involvement to post-Pentecost time (when the Holy Spirit- God’s Presence- was given as a gift to mankind because Jesus’ sacrifice fulfilled the law).
The idea of the next two sentences seems to be that ‘Jesus-Supreme Being’ MUST present to all peoples during all historical times. I do not hold this assumption. Rather, based on the Biblical record, I adhere to the concept of progressive revelation. That is, I believe since the fall of humanity the Godhead has been progressively, incrementally and in stages revealing and manifesting Its Divine Nature to redeem and restore mankind. As for omitting Eastern societies; remember it was Middle Easterners who were given extraordinary revelation. The Israelites lived in the most populous area of the world and their territory was a central trading route. They were called out to be witnesses- demonstrating to those around them Who God was according to the special revelation they were given at Mt. Sinai. The Easterners were not disregarded. Further, I believe it was only in the man Jesus that the Godhead manifested to this whole world as an individual person like us... and He wasn’t Caucasian! That is why I believe the life and testimony of Jesus is special and unique and deserves exceptional consideration and emphasis.
I believe every word of the original text of the written record we call the Bible was inspired directly by the Spirit of God. I agree that God spoke through people in particular times and situations and used the categories and culture and concepts that were then present in the vessels of His Revelation. I agree that the people who wrote had conscious experiences and may even have thought they were thinking on their own at times… but I believe God was sovereign even over their thoughts. I take the Bible as literally as possible allowing for metaphor, perspective, situational/cultural nuances and so forth. I consider my belief in the inspiration of Scripture to be an article of faith.
Too much to say about life after death… maybe another time…
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